mutton kurma

Hope your Deepavali started with a nice oil bath followed by a long leisurely breakfast of several soft dosais alongside a rich, lip-smacking Deepavali special mutton kurma. Hope you planted your butt on the couch and remained there the rest of the day and watched all the programs on all the channels. Hope you stole some time in between to go burst 100 walas and 1000 walas, pisssed off your neighbours and filled the entrance to your house with a respectable amount of paper kuppai (trash). That was my Deepavali. A mutton kurma for Deepavali cannot be any ordinary kurma. It needs to be extra special and extra decadent. And so you marinate the mutton in yogurt, fry the spices in ghee, cook the mutton in milk and finish off with coconut milk. This is the kind of breakfast that fills you up till dinner time. That is essential when you have a day full of TV programs you want to catch up with. You don’t want to get off the couch to prep lunch. I know this post should have come before Deepavali along with the Diwali promotions, Diwali Sale, the great Indian shopping festival in time for you to try this recipe for Deepavali. I know I am a bad blogger. Often, it’s the build-up to Deepavali that I enjoy even more than the day itself. I loved the deluge of Deepavali sweets and murukku on my facebook and instagram feeds. I love the food blogger spirit (not me), simple, cheery and optimistic. I was surprised though that nobody seemed to be posting the most important Deepavali mutton kurma. I wondered if it wasn’t as popular a tradition as I thought it was. or If mutton kurma eating south Indian bloggers are under represented in the blogging community. or If it is an outcome of censorship. I’ve talked to a couple of people who said something like this “I’ve read some of your posts. Your writing is really good. Hmm.. yours is a non-vegetarian blog right? But, I am a vegetarian.” to which I’ve very naively replied “But I post a lot of vegetarian recipes too.. (In my mind thinking “Oh, don’t stop reading because of that, Maybe I should post more vegetarian recipes.. “). However I don’t think I should try to change anything. I consider it my foremost duty to post the traditions and recipes that aren’t... Continue reading →

A couple of weekends ago, I made Mutton Murungakkai kurma, a heirloom recipe – meaning it is easy enough to make today and therefore survived the passage of time. My Amma remembers this recipe (but not adhirasam?!) and continues to make this kurma just like how my Ammama made it years ago. Murungakkai reminds me of ‘Mundhani Mudichi’ which reminds me of Bhagyaraj which again reminds me of all his movies. I am a big fan of Bhagyaraj movies, if I haven’t told you before. Bhagyaraj’s movies are a genre on their own – funny, sensitive, family centric, sentiment filled, thoroughly entertaining films that are riveting without a climax car chase. “Ende Kaadhali Ungalukku Manaivi Aayittu Varum. Patchay Ungal Manaivi Enikki Kaadhali Aaittu Varaadhu” – Legendary dialogue in Andha 7 Naatkal! I love it that there are always kids in his movies, that the kids ask uncomfortable questions, that the dad takes care of the kids, that women find such men very desirable, that women harbour as much desire as men, that the women cook Murungakkai to woo the men. Murungakkai (Drumstick) is an aphrodisiac, did you know? You’d know if you had seen Bhagyaraj’s “Mundhani Mudichu”. Watch ‘Chinna Veedu’, ‘Dhavani Kanavugal’ ‘Mouna Geethangal’ and ‘Andha 7 Naatkal also while you’re at it. Let me know if you need more movie suggestions. For whatever reason you choose to make this kurma, make it. This Mutton Murungakkai kurma must be made simply so you know how glorious this kurma smells, to savour the unbeatable combination of tender mutton and soft cooked drumstick in spiced coconut milk. This is the kind of kurma you eat with your hands. Use soft idlis or dosas to mop up that lovely kurma. It goes amazingly well with pooris or over rice too. Enjoy! Prep time: 15 minsCooking time: 35 minsServes: 4-6 Ingredients Mutton – ½ kilo, rinsed, cut into small chunksDrumstick – 1 cut into 1-1-2 to 2 inch piecesOnions – 2 medium chopped fineTomatoes – 2 large pureedGinger – 2 inch piece scraped and choppedGarlic – 7-8 cloves peeledGreen chillies – 2 chopped roughlyCinnamon – 2 inch piece of barkBay leaf – 1Cardamom – 2Water as necessaryCoconut milk – 2 cups (extracted from one full coconut)Salt to tasteRed chilli powder – 2-3 heaped tbsp.Turmeric powder – ½ tspCooking oil – 1 tbsp Method Grind together ginger, garlic and green chillies to a paste. Set... Continue reading →

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Welcome to Foodbetterbegood!
I am Jayanthi. I love to cook. I am the one who lingers on at a function to have a word with the caterer to ask him for the vathal kuzhambu recipe. I amass recipes and I covet my knives.
I love a good story. I believe everyone does. If you love stories, if you love good food, you are at the right place.
You’ll see snatches of my writing, my DIY attempts and antique love in this space. You’ll see good food and simple recipes and plenty of stories. Foodbetterbegood is my diary.